What does Cape Town have in common with New York, Sao Paulo, Berlin, London and Paris? It may not appear as the obvious answer at first, but Cape Town joins these other cities as one of the world’s top destinations when it comes to graffiti, or street art, as is fast becoming the preferred term. Traversing simple acts of vandalism and maturing into a fully fledged art form, street art is conscious of itself and its strength to communicate with people. For this reason street art, perhaps more than any other form of art, carries strong social and political messages. This is incredibly evident on the streets of Cape Town, which abound with striking pieces that are not only beautiful but also insightful and loaded with meaning. From political icons such as Nelson Mandela and Steve Biko, heroes of the struggle against apartheid, to works that highlight issues of social injustices such as the abuse of women and the gap between the poor and rich – very real issues that South Africa is struggling to come to terms with – Cape Town’s street art gives a voice to the voiceless and a forum for authentic expression in the urban wilderness. Continue reading »
Oct 132010
What does Cape Town have in common with New York, Sao Paulo, Berlin, London and Paris? It may not appear as the obvious answer at first, but Cape Town joins these other cities as one of the world’s top destinations when it comes to graffiti, or street art, as is fast becoming the preferred term. Traversing simple acts of vandalism and maturing into a fully fledged art form, street art is conscious of itself and its strength to communicate with people. For this reason street art, perhaps more than any other form of art, carries strong social and political messages. This is incredibly evident on the streets of Cape Town, which abound with striking pieces that are not only beautiful but also insightful and loaded with meaning. From political icons such as Nelson Mandela and Steve Biko, heroes of the struggle against apartheid, to works that highlight issues of social injustices such as the abuse of women and the gap between the poor and rich – very real issues that South Africa is struggling to come to terms with – Cape Town’s street art gives a voice to the voiceless and a forum for authentic expression in the urban wilderness. Continue reading »
The famous 'Mrs Ples', a 2 million year old skull.
An hour’s drive from the bustling metropolis of Johannesburg one can find the Cradle of Humankind, a truly remarkable place that is sure to leave you dizzy trying to grasp the developments of life and our species on this planet. Occupying 47 000 hectares of land and an official World Heritage Site since 1999, the Cradle of Humankind consists of 15 major fossil sites – sites where fossils of our ancestors have been discovered that date back over 3 million years! The most famous of these sites, Sterkfontein Caves has produced over a third of early hominid fossils ever found. Most scientists now agree that all humanity has a common heritage that begun in Africa, and nowhere else is this more evident than at the Cradle of Humankind.
Maropeng
Being such an important place not only to Johannesburg and South Africa, but to the entire world and everyone alive, the Cradle of Humankind has become a huge attraction to people from far and wide. To this effort there has been a dual effort to add tourism infrastructure in the forms of exhibition and recreational facilities, hotels, and restaurants, while maintaining ongoing scientific explorations and conservation efforts. This is evident in the Maropeng Visitor’s Centre, a highlight of any trip to the Cradle. Maropeng, a Setswana term that literally means ‘returning to the place of origin’, is a state of the art exhibition centre that will take its visitors on a ride from the creation of the universe during the Big Bang 14 billion years ago all the way to the present. On the way we stop and examine how the Earth came into being from a ball of burning gas 4.6 billion years ago and then move forward to 3.8 billion years ago when life first emerged on the planet. Moving swiftly along, we find out how the earth has been rocked by 5 major extinctions, the last being only 65 million years ago when a meteor impact killed off the giant reptilian dinosaurs.
By all accounts nothing very exciting happened for the next 60 million years or so, the dinosaurs were dead and gone. Larger, stronger and better adapted mammals developed and took their place. Nothing exciting that is, until some primates began to shake things up. This is where the Cradle of Humankind and Maropeng really come into their own. From our 3 million old relative, Australopithicus Africanus, discovered in the Sterkfontein Caves, all the way to modern humans, Homo sapiens, that emerged only 200 000 years ago. May seem like a long time, but in the grander scheme of things, as this brilliant exhibit demonstrates, it’s just a blink of the eye. Maropeng, with its state of the art displays and unrivalled collection of human and early hominid fossils, tells the unbelievable story of humanities development and growth, development of language and technology. Perhaps the greatest story ever told, and Maropeng does it amazingly.
Sterkfontein Caves
From the riveting history lesson at Maropeng, one can visit Sterkfontein Caves for a more ‘in depth’ and close up look at where and how these amazing discoveries were made. After learning about the famous fossils that came out of these caves and their historical significance, visitors can then take a tour of these magnificent caves. Some of the more incredible finds here have been evidence of controlled fire that is 1 million years old as well as ‘Little Foot’, an almost complete Australopithicus Africanus skeleton that is over 3 million years old.
For more information check out Allabout’s listing or visit Maropeng’s website.
Aug 112010
Cape Winelands
Cape Town and her surrounding areas is without a doubt a world-class tourism destination. From the golden beaches and the serene winelands to the majestic presence of Table Mountain, visitors to this region are spoiled for choice. So spoiled in fact, that quite often they are unsure where to begin. At Allabout we are well aware of this problem and have managed to collect together all the best tour companies in the region and give you all the information on what they have to offer. This means that any visitor to the Cape can find out what tours different companies offer on Allabout, and compare them to what they want to do, making their stays more fulfilling, enjoyable and suited to their specific needs. Continue reading »
